NEWBURGH – THe City of Newburgh firefighters, members of IAFF Local 589, held a private Memorial Day service at the Firefighters Memorial on Monday to pay their respects to the country’s fallen warriors. After the private remembrance, they opted to stay out of the city’s Memorial Day parade.
Local 589 President Nick Bedetti said “Memorial Day and the City of Newburgh parade have always been one of the events that the City of Newburgh Firefighters look forward to participating in every year,” while also explaining why the firefighters chose not to march.
“We could not stand behind a body of city government that proclaims public safety is their number one priority, however, their actions and policy decisions show that the safety of the citizens is not their priority,” Bedetti said. “Their decisions have severely damaged our ability to protect the city and made our already dangerous job even more hazardous.”
The union president noted that the unanimous decision was made after a lengthy discussion among the firefighters, and the decision was not made lightly. “The City of Newburgh Firefighters love the parade and love interacting with the citizens we take pride in protecting.” Several members of the department did stand along the parade route and cheered for the participants. “We love this city and we love protecting all who live here.”
